Duck Soup Cinema featuring
Our Hospitality starring Buster Keaton
WRITTEN BY
Jean Havez, Clyde Bruckman & Joseph Mitchell
DIRECTED BY
Jack Blystone & Buster Keaton
CAST (1923)
Buster Keaton Joe Roberts Ralph Bushman Craig Ward Monte Collins Joe Keaton Kitty Bradbury Natalie Talmadge Buster Keaton, Jr.
Willie McKay, 21 years old Joseph Canfield Canfield’s Son Canfield’s Son The Parson The Engineer Aunt Mary The Girl, Canfield’s Daughter Willie McKay, 1 year old
GRAND BARTON ORGAN
HOSTED BY
Dennis James
Joe Thompson
VAUDEVILLE ACTS
Ace Willie and Doc the Rube in the lobby Members of the Badger Ballroom Dance Team The Sand Rose Band Truly Remarkable Loon SAT, NOV 6, 2010 | Capitol Theater
Sponsored by
Additional funding provided by Madison Stagehands and Projectionists Union, I.A.T.S.E Local 251, contributions to the Ovation Fund, and by members of the Duck Soup Club. Learn how you can support Duck Soup by becoming a member at overturecenter.com/contribute. Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 1
PROGRAM Vaudeville Acts INTERMISSION Door Prizes Our Hospitality
BUSTER KEATON The great Buster Keaton remains today one of the best comedic actors of all time. His influence on physical comedy is often compared to Charlie Chaplin. Like many silent film greats, much of his work was nearly forgotten for many years. But at the time of his death in 1966, a renewed interest in the comic genius of the vaudeville and silent film eras had brought the name Buster Keaton back into the public consciousness. His work as a performer and director is thought to be some of the most innovative and important work in the history of cinema. Born Joseph Francis Keaton in 1895 in Piqua, Kansas, he earned the nickname “Buster” after falling down a flight of stairs at the age of six months. At the bottom of the stairs, family friend Harry Houdini picked up the relatively unscathed infant and said Keaton could really take a “buster,” or fall. From that point on, he was known as Buster Keaton. His parents, who had a vaudeville act, incorporated him into their show when Buster was just three years old! As part of The Three Keatons, Buster was routinely thrown through windows and dropped down stairs. This rough-and-tumble vaudeville training was great preparation for the lightning fast slapstick comedy for which he later became famous during the silent film era. Buster’s trademark physical comedy, marked by his classic deadpan expression, earned him the nickname “The
Great Stone Face.” In 1917, Keaton moved to Hollywood where he met Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, one of the most famous comedy actors of that time. Arbuckle took Keaton under his wing, and helped him get a foothold in the movie community. Keaton regarded Arbuckle as not only a close friend, but as one of the greatest influences on his career. The deadpan humor and awesome acrobatics of the tall, thin Keaton were the perfect foil for the rotund Arbuckle’s clumsy antics, and the pair delighted silent filmgoers everywhere. It didn’t take long for Buster Keaton to make a name for himself. Most notably, audiences loved him for his stoic countenance, which he never failed to maintain despite compromising circumstances. The New York Times said of him, “In a film world that exaggerated everything, and in which every emotion was dramatized and elaborated, he remained impassive and solemn, his poker-face inscrutability suppressing all emotion.” It was not just Keaton’s acting, however, but his writing and directing that gained him the notoriety he enjoyed during the 1920s. And though his acrobatic talent thrilled audiences, the subtlety of his work left him trailing the more popular Chaplin and Harold Lloyd at the box office. In the 1930s, the studio took control of Buster Keaton’s films. At the time, the depth of his genius was not fully understood, and roles that highlighted only his Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 3
DON’T STAY
SILENT
ABOUT YOUR
LOVE OF SILENT
FILMS
Are you a silent film aficionado? Does the sound of the Capitol Theater’s Barton Organ signal the beginning of a fabulous evening of Duck Soup Cinema for you? Then join Overture’s Duck Soup Cinema Club, and help keep this community program healthy and affordable for all! Learn about the benefits of membership and make your donation online at overturecenter.com/contribute. You’ll have even more fun with Duck Soup and can take pride knowing that your generosity is part of how it all happens.
2010/11 Duck Soup Club Member List Current as of October 1, 2010
Cindy Ballard Daniel Becker Edwin Burington Julie D’Angelo Fern Delaney Robert N. Doornek Theodore Finn
Kathy Gomes R. Hannes Beinert Bill & Marcia Holman Elaine Holub-Staupfli Dan & Debbie Jackson Larry Kneeland Therese Maring
Irene Meyer Stanford & Bev Ninedorf Joe & Jeanne Silverberg Robert & Marsha Steffen Katherine Vanderheiden Nicholas Wootton Eileen Zeiger
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BUSTER KEATON con’t most basic talents were written for him. Like so many of the silent film greats, his career was almost completely derailed by the arrival of the talkies. Buster went on to write for the Marx Brothers as well as Red Skelton, making only a fraction of his former earnings. Sadly, he turned to alcohol, and during the ‘40s, did very little work that attracted notice. A revival of his
work started in the early ‘50s, when he did frequent television appearances. Buster Keaton died in 1966 at the age of 69 of lung cancer. Fortunately, the seemingly selfless composure he maintained throughout his six decades of performing has kept him regarded as among the greatest comedic talents ever. Keaton’s films are still among the funniest and most touching of all time.
OUR HOSPITALITY trivia & fun facts n
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During the filming of the scene in which Buster Keaton is being swept downstream towards the waterfall, he was attached to a ‘holdback’ cable, concealed in the river. During the filming of the scene, the cable broke, and he was hurled down the rapids, battered by rocks and limbs, and was only barely able to grab an overhanging branch, which held him just long enough for the crew to reach and rescue him. This scene remains in the final print, and is fairly easy to spot. Just look for the point at which Keaton is being pulled downriver and 1) he suddenly looks back towards the camera, and 2) his speed in the water doubles, almost causing him to fly out of frame. The climactic waterfall rescue scenes were filmed on a set built over the swimming pool on the Keaton lot. Production stills kept secret until decades after the film was released show the entire set, including the miniature valley constructed below the pool for the long overlooking shots. Joe Roberts, Buster Keaton’s colleague and friend, made his last appearance in this film. Big Joe suffered a stroke during the filming, and was hospitalized. He insisted on returning to work, however, and died very shortly after the end of filming. This is the only film to feature three generations of Keatons. Buster’s father plays a train engineer while Buster’s infant son plays a baby version of Buster in the film’s prologue. Keaton’s wife Natalie was pregnant with their second child during filming, and late in the production she had to be filmed to hide her growing size. Keaton set the film in the 1830s so he could indulge his passion for trains by creating a working model of Stephenson’s Rocket, an early locomotive. He also employed a dandy horse which, by the 1830s, would have been out of fashion. The traveling shots of the locomotive are clear precursors to later work on The General, and were shot in the same Oregon locations.
Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 5
GRAND BARTON ORGAN Like all grand movie theaters built during the Silent Film Era, the Capitol Theater had a pipe organ that allowed a single musician to fill the theater with music while movies were being shown. Overture Center’s organ is a Barton, manufactured by the Bartola Musical Instrument Company in Oshkosh. It is believed to be the oldest Barton in Wisconsin, and the only one in the state remaining in its original location and condition. The instrument is such a rare gem that in 1990 it was honored by the Organ Historical Society as “an instrument of exceptional merit,” the first time a theater organ had been so recognized by the society, which typically reserves such honors for the grand pipe organs found in churches. Hollywood had premiered the first “talkie,” the year before the Capitol Theater opened, but it took a while for sound films to catch
on, and the Barton got a lot of use in the early years of the Capitol Theater. As sound films became popular, the organ was used for sing-alongs and pre-feature entertainment, but as film showings lost their pageantry, this role diminished. The gold and red horseshoeshaped console is the most visible part of the instrument, but the organ’s sound comes from 1,034 pipes hidden in chambers on either side of the stage. The large illuminated console and its 141 stop keys and three manuals is usually located at house right. At one time, it was on its own elevator in the orchestra pit. It was moved to make space for the many large-scale productions staged in the theater. A seven and one half horsepower blower in the basement of the theater powers the organ and the massive electrical switching system is
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WHAT YOUR
KIDS
LOVE
Are you a family that attends Kids in the Rotunda (KIR) on a regular basis? Do you depend on KIR for your winter family outings? Do your kids light up when the magician, dancers or bands take the Rotunda stage? Then support what your kids love! Join other KIR fans in helping to keep this family community asset free. Learn about the benefits of membership and join the KIR Club today at overturecenter.com/contribute. You’ll have even more fun and can take pride each Saturday morning knowing that your generosity is part of how it all happens.
overturecenter.com/contribute 6 Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema
Duck Soup cinema
sat, feB 26, 2 pm & 7 pm
$7 Adults, $3 kids 12 and Under | Capitol Theater
sponsored by Goodman’s Jewelers
The Three Ages
starring Buster Keaton
Clark Wilson on the Grand Barton Organ
Silent films and vaudeville acts recalling the glory days of Capitol Theater.
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GRAND BARTON ORGAN con’t sealed in a special room high in the building. This electrical relay is so large that it was put in place before the theater was finished in 1928 and could only be removed with considerable demolition of the building. The smallest pipes, which produce the high notes, are the size of a soda straw, and the largest are 16 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter. The pipes
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that produce the deepest notes are eight feet high and about 24 inches square, made of thick, knotless pine slabs. Like any wind instrument, the sound comes from air passing through the pipes, but the wind is supplied by a seven-horsepower air pump, rather than a musician’s breath. The pipes are divided into fourteen ranks, or sets, that mimic the instruments of an orchestra. In addition, a “toy counter” offers special sounds like a chirping bird, auto horn, sleigh bells and percussive effects. An important part of keeping the organ in top condition is regular use. Overture Center continues to use the organ as part of the center’s Duck Soup Cinema series.
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Drumline LIVE!
SAT, NOV 27 – SUN, NOV 28 Overture Hall | $19.50–$42.50
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Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 9
DENNIS JAMES For well over 25 years, Dennis James has played a pivotal role in the international revival of silent films with live music. Beginning as a pianist for campus screenings at Indiana University during the late 1960s, James now tours worldwide under the auspices of his own Silent Film Concerts production company presenting feature silent film programs with solo theatre organ, chamber ensemble and full symphony orchestra accompaniments. Performing silent films regularly with symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Canada since 1978, James offers the most comprehensive repertoire in the field. James is a featured soloist on the international film festival circuit, including regular appearances for the San Francisco, Toronto, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia as well as the annual Pordenone and Rome (Italy) Festivals Cinema Muto. He performs frequently at the Walker Film Center in Minneapolis, the Cleveland Cinematheque and for the Chicago Art Institute’s film series and at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Palazzo Delle Espisozioni in Rome, and the National Film Theatre in London. He regularly performs under the auspices of the American Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, the Pacific Film Archive, the George Eastman House, the American Federation of the Arts, and for the U.C.L.A. Film
and Television Archive and the British Film Institute. His silent film presentations have been seen throughout Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and England. Dennis James is also dedicated to furthering public interest in the pipe organ and to the continuation of the theatrical traditions of organ performance. His has served as house organist for the Lansdowne and Brookline Theatres in Philadelphia and later at the Paramount and Rivoli Theatres in Indiana. From 1975 to 1989 James was the final appointed house organist for the restored Ohio Theatre in Columbus. Since 1991 he appears frequently at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, California, between his international touring engagements. In a career made up of diverse engagements, he has performed with such popular film personalities as Vincent Price, Ray Bolger, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Myrna Loy, Oliva De Havilland, Ginger Rogers and Fay Wray. He was selected by composer/ conductor Carmine Coppola as the organist for the ongoing world tour presentations of Napoleon, the 1927 epic silent film by Abel Gance. He has also toured extensively with silent film stars Charles “Buddy” Rogers and the late Lillian Gish and providing musical accompaniment at national revivals of their motion pictures.
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JOE THOMPSON Joe Thompson has appeared on Madison stages countless times (plus one if you count tonight). He made his theatrical debut at the age of 9 with the Racine Theater Guild and thanks his mom and dad for always remembering to take him home after rehearsal. His current activities include oregoni (the art of folding paper into the shapes
resembling Oregon), making jello salads, and strenuous daily oral hygiene. He is a member of Madison’s sketch comedy troupe “The Prom Committee” and co-author of Fatherhood, The Musical with Phil Martin. He is the proud father of two and the lucky husband of one.
VAUDEVILLE Ace Willie Ace Willie, a.k.a., William Litzler has been performing in the Midwest for 40 years in venues ranging from Cub Scout banquets to corporate events. Ace was bitten by the magic bug after attending a magic show sponsored by The Houdini Club of Wisconsin in 1969. (He subsequently has shared the stage with every performer on that program.) In the 1980s, Ace Willie further developed his comedy style as a regular performer at The Comedy Cellar, Madison’s first comedy club. Once, at the Comedy Cellar, Ace alerted management of an underage performer and had that teenager removed from the club. The teenager was Chris Farley! Ace Willie is also a dealer in rare and vintage magic. He as been a leading seller in eBay’s Magic Community since 1999. Currently Ace Willie and his wife Debbie are popular performers for family events sponsored by corporations, country clubs and area communities. Visit www.acewillie.com. Badger Ballroom Dance Team The Badger Ballroom Dance Team (BBDT) is a student organization founded in 2002 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and dedicated to the advancement of ballroom dance on campus and in the community. BBDT teaches international style ballroom dance to people from all walks of life, including students,
professors and working professionals among others. BBDT strives to offer the highest quality instruction to its members during the weekly lessons and workshops. Team members also have opportunities to participate in regional ballroom competitions as well as numerous dance events throughout the community, all with the goal of bringing the joy of ballroom dance to as many people as possible. Doc the Rube Jim “Doc the Rube” Carter has a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Veterinary Pathology from the Veterinary College at Kansas State University. He began clowning around with the Aldersgate Clowns in Olathe, Kansas in 1980. When he moved to Wisconsin he started the Asbury Clowns at Asbury United Methodist Church. His secular clowning has involved doing walk around entertainment and clown stage shows with his clown partners. He performed at the Clown Hall of Fame, the Kids Expo and in the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee sponsored by the Circus World Museum. Doc has taught clown classes at several regional workshops and at a national Clown Impact Conference. The Sand Rose Band The Sand Rose Band is a newly blossoming blues and folk-grass infused rock band. Former members of the Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 13
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VAUDEVILLE local band Elf Lettuce, bassist Eli Reichenberger and guitarist Jacob Lison have been deeply entrenched in a life of music since they were young. Eli spent his younger years learning to command the saxophone and playing award-winning leads in the high school jazz band and school choir. Later, Eli picked up the bass and quickly became a skilled and soulful player with an exploratory style. Jacob started out in the Green Bay Boy’s Choir at the age of six and went on to sing leads in the school choir. He picked up the guitar at the age of 13 and has continued to develop a deep psychedelic-blues-based lead style that winds, twists and turns through the music. Eli and Jacob have played with a number of well known musicians. They spent a year opening up for one of James Brown’s drummers, legend Clyde Stubblefield. The summer of 2010 found them headlining several festivals and collaborating with the Jerry Garcia Band organist Melvin Seals at the Grateful Garcia Gathering in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. They have also played Summerfest and the 10,000 Lakes Festival of Minnesota. Truly Remarkable Loon Truly Remarkable Loon grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. His parents,
immigrants from Eastern Europe, gave him a name no English-speaking person could properly pronounce. Loon used several different monikers (i.e. Parsley) until 1974. That year, while canoeing in the Boundary Waters, he was given the name Loon by his boating partner for his inattention to 13 consecutive days of rain. “Truly Remarkable” was added by another friend in 1975 for Loon’s blatant defiance for the laws of gravity. A self-professed “class clown,” Loon attended Madison Memorial High School. He wishes to state once more for the record that he did not put a dead animal in the boys room, causing the evacuation of the entire A wing at the school in 1974. In 1976, Loon was inspired to learn how to juggle. After two years of intense, obsessive practice, Loon was able to juggle balls, clubs, machetes, tomatoes, fire torches and anything else that wasn’t tied down. Now, Loon can be seen on stage at fairs and festivals across America, juggling giant bean bag chairs, spinning plates, tossing the dreaded implements of death and those ever-flaming torches. Purple is his favorite color and trademark, though attempts to copyright the color have been unsuccessful.
always
DeWitt, Ross & Stevens
OveRtuRe GalleRieS
local Free
always
always
amazing
Duck Soup Cinema | Overture Center 15
PATRON SERVICES AND INFORMATION
Welcome to Overture Center for the Arts Your enjoyment is important to us. Please contact an usher or the ticket office if you have any concerns about your experience here.
Rentals: For information on renting spaces in Overture Center for weddings, performances, meetings or other events, call 608.258.4163 or email events@overturecenter.com.
ORDERING & INFORMATION
Etiquette Please turn off all paging devices, cell phones and watch alarms.
Order online! overturecenter.com Phone orders: Call 608.258.4141 Mail or fax: online order form at overturecenter.com or in our magazine. Buy in person: Visit the ticket office located on the main floor just off the Rotunda Lobby. Ticket office hours: Mon–Fri, 11 am–5:30 pm; Sat, 11 am–2 pm; open additional hours evenings and Sundays on days of ticketed performances. Group orders: Groups of 15 or more receive a discount on most performances. Call 608.258.4159 to make reservations. TTY/ TextNet: Call 1.866.704.2328 for tickets and information. Visit overturecenter.com: For a calendar of events, links to artists’ websites, video, audio, directions, parking and much more. PATRON SERVICES & POLICIES Accessibility: Request accommodations when ordering your tickets. Call 608.258.4144 (TTY/TextNet: 1.866.704.2328) for information, questions, or to request the following: n
wheelchair-accessible seating house wheelchair for transport n sign language interpretation n Braille playbill n other accommodations n
Information is also available at overturecenter.com/tickets/accessibility Children and lap seating: Every person, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter the theaters for performances. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted at certain performances. See our season brochure, visit our website or call the Help Line at 608.258.4143 for information. Contacting a patron during a performance: Call 608.258.4179 with performance the patron is attending and his/ her row and seat number. Lost and Found: Visit the information desk in the Rotunda Lobby or call 608.258.4973. 16 Overture Center | Duck Soup Cinema
Smoking is prohibited in Overture. The use of cameras or tape recorders in the theaters is prohibited without written permission from Overture Center and the performing company’s management. Food, large bags and other large items are not permitted in the theaters. Beverages are allowed at select shows in Overture souvenir cups. In consideration of audience members with scent sensitivities and allergies, please use perfumes, aftershaves and other fragrances in moderation. Event Staff Stagehand services in Overture are provided by members of Local 251 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Volunteer usher and other services for Overture are provided by Overture Friends. For information, visit overturecenter.com/ contribute/volunteer or call 608.258.4177. RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society bachdancinganddynamite.org | 608.255.9866 Children’s Theater of Madison ctmtheater.org | 608.255.2080 Kanopy Dance Company kanopydance.org | 608.255.2211 Li Chiao-Ping Dance lichiaopingdance.org | 608.835.6590 Madison Ballet madisonballet.org | 608.278.7990 Madison Museum of Contemporary Art mmoca.org | 608.257.0158 Madison Opera madisonopera.org |608.238.8085 Madison Symphony Orchestra madisonsymphony.org | 608.257.3734 Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery wisconsinacademy.org | 608.265.2500 Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra wcoconcerts.org | 608.257.0638